One thing that has made ghosts tiresome is the squad point system. Essentially after prestige 1 and 2 you know what you like and what you dislike correct? So you begin to accumulate squad points and by the time you get to prestige 3 and 4 you've got a load of squad points that you'll never need to spend and the only thing left to do is either rank up or complete challenges which ranking up for the sake of ranking up isn't really fun and challenges aren't that meaningful because you only get some XP and squad points.....

My suggestion is: Make a system like Modern Warfare 2:

You reach a rank and unlock a gun

You need to get 20 kills with the weapon to unlock the red dot sight

you need 40 kills while looking through the red dot sight to unlock the holographic sight

You need to get 10 grenade launcher kills to unlock the shotgun attachment

So on and so forth

You folks get the picture.

Make ranking up much more meaningful

That way you're more motivated to reach a level and unlock the weapon and then continue using the weapon to unlock attachments and then when you unlock attachments you need to use them in order to unlock other attachments. This way you're much more motivated to keep playing and it gives you something to work for and earn.

Adding new challenges once you hit the max prestige would be nice. An entire section of challenge only earnable once you max out your level gives players bragging rights. As of now all challenges can be earned while leveling and that means all the challenges you either want or are time consuming are earned before you reach max level.

So once you hit 10th prestige they should give you challenges to complete from that point forward. Completion of these challenges can have nice rewards to them such as special camos and maybe even micro transaction discounts.

I do think this would add a new 'challenge' for the master prestiges and perhaps a system where they could go back to prestige 10 level 1 if they wished, ultimately there wouldn't be more prestiges but if they enjoyed the take of levelling up this could be something for them.

I agree to all of this i hate being bored when you prestige in ghosts or black ops you had all the guns your used to using every game i want to see a different gun on the battlefield i like to have fun unlocking things so the unlocks way is better

Even with all this new stuff there will still be bored players. I had friends hit max prestige by February/March and they have nearly 30 days played already. It's not the games fault that there's not enough challenges to occupy someone for 30 days.

Even with all this new stuff there will still be bored players. I had friends hit max prestige by February/March and they have nearly 30 days played already. It's not the games fault that there's not enough challenges to occupy someone for 30 days.

Most games aren't designed to last 30 days playing time. In fact I don't believe any console game is designed to last that long.

What's funny is that I have yet to complete every challenge in any COD and I'm one of those 30 day kind of guys. But I do like the idea of reserving a few choice rewards for challenges that unlock after max prestige. That would be a cool change.

Folks, want to know the issue with allowing people to unlock anything anytime? Just look at Ghosts.

Bring back unlocking guns and unlocking their attachments. Made the game infinitely more interesting and replayable.. and helped maintain balance.

Exactly

Could you imagine MW3 being able to Unlock the ACR from the word go? I know you could use a prestige token to unlock it but I mean seriously that would be very over-the-top.

Overall I'd like to see a system where I have to rank up to unlock perks, weapons etc then have to complete challenges to unlock the attachments e.g. get 20 kills with the grande launcher to unlock the shotgun. Get 10 kills to unlock the red dot sight, get 40 kills looking through the red dot sight to unlock the holographic sight.

Overall I really dislike this new 'fad' where you use points or 'in game' currency to unlock stuff. I preferred the good old fashioned rank up and unlock process. Made the game more fun.

I moaned about that game a lot. I've gone back to it now and it's not that bad. There are still a lot of annoying things: small maps, rubbish spawn system and no spawn protection for Scorestreaks(because it's no fun spawning and getting killed by a Lightning Stirke and then spawning again and getting killed by a Hellstorm Missile ) being the main problems.

I agree Treyarch did a few things wrong but I also agree that the Pick 10 System was a great idea. Same with Scorestreaks. That just needed a bit of Tweaking as well.

If they took the create a class from that game, added 3 more slots for scorestreaks(killstreaks) so that each class could have it's own streaks (which is so valuable to strategic players), I think it would be just about right. The wildcard system really made for balanced classes as well. Could even add a Wild Card allowing players to bypass score/killstreaks in favor of 2 additional slots.

Let's make ranking mean something again aka let's restore the system that rewards the hardcore players while pooping all over the casuals.

The ranking system you mention is only rewarding to those who play more often. What happens to the people who have jobs, family, and other life duties to attend to? While Mr. "IPlayTooMuchCOD" runs around with his perfect setup along with the rest of his team, I have to suffer through the first 20-50 ranks in order to fully acquire my favorite unlocks. At least with squad points, it not only allowed me to unlock my preferred setup quicker, but it also granted me more freedom to use whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Idea: Why not give players a choice in regards to how they want to rank up. Let the choices appeal to both types of gamers.

Let's make ranking mean something again aka let's restore the system that rewards the hardcore players while pooping all over the casuals.

The ranking system you mention is only rewarding to those who play more often. What happens to the people who have jobs, family, and other life duties to attend to? While Mr. "IPlayTooMuchCOD" runs around with his perfect setup along with the rest of his team, I have to suffer through the first 20-50 ranks in order to fully acquire my favorite unlocks. At least with squad points, it not only allowed me to unlock my preferred setup quicker, but it also granted me more freedom to use whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

You can't design a game with only one group of players in mind. I don't get to play often anyways, and I am all for a better leveling system.

The game needs override the needs of individuals. Good players won't be hurt by this system, they will still be able to win regardless of their level.

But a true leveling system is needed to keep a game fresh, interesting, and challenging for all.

They didn't need to add more, random prestiges for people who raced through the game... and they don't need to dumb it down or simplify it for those of us who just don't have time to play.

This game needs to get back to a true leveling system. The Choice wouldn't work, as you know that players would take the easy way out and choose to get things without effort, while dedicated players who grind it out will suffer. So the choice doesn't work or make sense. True leveling will make this series fun, replayable, and balanced again.

Let's make ranking mean something again aka let's restore the system that rewards the hardcore players while pooping all over the casuals.

The ranking system you mention is only rewarding to those who play more often. What happens to the people who have jobs, family, and other life duties to attend to? While Mr. "IPlayTooMuchCOD" runs around with his perfect setup along with the rest of his team, I have to suffer through the first 20-50 ranks in order to fully acquire my favorite unlocks. At least with squad points, it not only allowed me to unlock my preferred setup quicker, but it also granted me more freedom to use whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Idea: Why not give players a choice in regards to how they want to rank up. Let the choices appeal to both types of gamers.

The system I suggested was basically MW2 ranking up system and people loved that game. I'm a student, I have work and then education so my time on Ghosts is limited but many people, including myself get bored of the game and therefore the system I'm suggesting makes the game more fun and lasts longer. I'm bored of Ghosts already because I see no reason to rank up. Because ranking up doesn't grant me anything. Okay,....it grants me a gold knife (P5) and then a gold PDW (P10) --> that doesn't exactly excite me.

Now if I had to rank up to get my fav weapons and class items it would make me want to play more.

This system has been used for all games except Ghosts and it has worked well for everyone. Even those with limited time.

I know the ranking system offers incentive to play, but not everyone wants to be limited in their abilities in the first 30 or so ranks. Some people are not easily bored, even when there are no challenges to unlock.

As mentioned earlier, give people a choice of which ranking style they wish to pursue for each soldier. Either the classic system, or the squad points system. Everybody wins.

I understand a player's ability is important, but I'm not exactly going to experience my full abilities in combat when my play style is severely gimped ie running into every IED without Sitrep, not being able to move fast while ADS'ing with ARs without Stalker, getting soundwhored due to a lack of Dead Silence, etc. If the classic ranking system was forcefed to me, then that gimp will last a lot longer compared to the squad points system. I would rather have more comfort over challenge when play a fun game like COD.

Iivrruummii

Well, that's their choice. It's not about abusing "what's easier", it's about appealing to the preferences of the players. Why should I be forced to rank up the classic way because "other people" like it? I should have a preference in regards to what I prefer to unlock first. If people really want to not have any control over their unlocks, then give them that choice as well.

If the people who chose the classic ranking system complain about others using the squad points system, then they are wrong by not accepting the responsibility and consequences of their choices.

I did enjoy previous games, don't get me wrong. However, ever since 2007, I always asked, "Why can't I just unlock set weapons/perks/equipment/killstreaks the way I want?"

Why is my logic flawed? Is it because I like to think about both sides of the coin and try to appease both the hardcore and casual players? The logic of, "the needs of the many outweight the needs of the few" is also flawed. A lot of people loved stopping power and OP killstreaks from MW2. Since so many liked it, should we revert to that as well? No.

Oh, I'm so sorry that the casuals can't live up to your standards. Since they don't desire a major challenge while playing Call of Duty, they're just bugs beneath your feet, right? That's a great way of thinking about other people, let me tell ya.

Oh, I'm so sorry that the casuals can't live up to your standards. Since they don't desire a major challenge while playing Call of Duty, they're just bugs beneath your feet, right? That's a great way of thinking about other people, let me tell ya.

~RUGGED SAVIOR

Its not that.....It's that the previous didn't offer immediate unlock access and they worked out fine and offered both a challenge to casual cod players and more hardcore fans. In fact this system actually makes it more easier for the Pros than the casual player because they are more deadly and can go straight for the stuff they want. Whereas they'd need to be level 74 to get the MP7 from MW3 or level 80 to unlock the RPG.

I mean people who didn't like the waiting simply never prestiged or they did it once to get the prestige challenges and they never did it again. that's an option open to you.

Good folks like you and I will make the choice that best suits us. We'll play fairly and honestly, try different setups, challenge ourselves.

When I say undesirables, I refer to the folks who like to abuse the system. The ones who kill whore in objectives. The ones who boost, cheat, exploit... do whatever they can to unfairly get a leg up on the competition. Do you really want to give them the option of being able to just get what they want when they want it?

A challenge based system for all leads to better balance and makes the game ultimately more replayable for all.

But again, that isn't good for people who want more flexibility. If everyone were force-fed the classic system, then the people who don't get to play as often will end up at a disadvantage due to their setups not being unlocked. It's one thing to be skilled, but it's unpleasant to be gimped in terms of locked items and against other players with their unlocks.

If people want a squad point system over the ranking system, that's their choice should my idea be implemented.

Idea: Why not give players a choice in regards to how they want to rank up. Let the choices appeal to both types of gamers.

But again, that isn't good for people who want more flexibility. If everyone were force-fed the classic system, then the people who don't get to play as often will end up at a disadvantage due to their setups not being unlocked. It's one thing to be skilled, but it's unpleasant to be gimped in terms of locked items and against other players with their unlocks.

If people want a squad point system over the ranking system, that's their choice should my idea be implemented.

Idea: Why not give players a choice in regards to how they want to rank up. Let the choices appeal to both types of gamers.

If people who chose the classic route are upset that their opponents chose the squad point route, then it's wrong to blame other players based on their preferences.

~RUGGED SAVIOR

You could never put two options like this in a competitive Multiplayer game and even if you play casually its still a competitive game, you play to have fun and win.

I consider myself a casual player, I don't like MLG or anything like that but I do see that squad points has made a game in which is only fun to play for the first couple prestiges and then you question what you're exactly working towards. I'd honestly suggest if you can't be bothered ranking up is to do it once then not prestige or prestige once and get all the challenges unlocked and available to you and then start trying to chip away at the challenges.

I like the idea of going back to ranking up to unlock guns, attachments etc.

Ghosts is so flawed in this way. You can be almost brand new to the game and go and unlock an M27 and thermal scope to make your camping easy immediately.

You should be rewarded for putting in time.

Lets be honest, in Ghosts all you needed was to build up your squad points at the beginning and then your sorted for all prestiges..hell they could have at least made it once you prestige you went back to 0 squad points, but no, you could immediately use your points to unlock everything you need to start again.

Yesterday, i found my self so bored of Ghosts, I went back to MW3 and decided to do a full reset and start from the beginning again, i forgot how hard it is having to level and using guns your not use to etc, but it also made me want to level up to get to that ACR and even get to that MP7 at level 74!

And also having the prestige award for being able to do 1 permanent unlock it makes you think carefully, knowing once you prestige you have to start from scratch, what 1 weapon do I want this time, do I want the gun I love but is unlocked about half way through, or do I want that one gun i enjoy using but is one the final unlocks...#firstworldproblems hahaha

I want player level and gun level to be independent. Leveling your player should take forever, like a weeks time get to a new prestige. This is more about bragging rights and a show of commitment. However, gun leveling should be a bit faster. You have to level a gun up to unlock attachments, camos, and weapon skills - much like MW3.

As you level up your gun level you can then unlock the next weapon in the tier. In order to advance to the next tier you must rank up the previous weapon to a certain point first. That way you don't have n00bs going for the most powerful weapon at the start. It should be a privilege to have more powerful weapons.

The reason I want these levels independent is so when you prestige you don't reset your weapon progress. To finish all weapon tiers it should be the equivalent of a few prestiges. Like I said, there's no reason a beginner should have access to the most powerful weapon, where's the fun in that.

I want player level and gun level to be independent. Leveling your player should take forever, like a weeks time get to a new prestige. This is more about bragging rights and a show of commitment. However, gun leveling should be a bit faster. You have to level a gun up to unlock attachments, camos, and weapon skills - much like MW3.

As you level up your gun level you can then unlock the next weapon in the tier. In order to advance to the next tier you must rank up the previous weapon to a certain point first. That way you don't have n00bs going for the most powerful weapon at the start. It should be a privilege to have more powerful weapons.

The reason I want these levels independent is so when you prestige you don't reset your weapon progress. To finish all weapon tiers it should be the equivalent of a few prestiges. Like I said, there's no reason a beginner should have access to the most powerful weapon, where's the fun in that.

While I like the sound of this Idea G, I think its a bit much to ask of the casual player who doesn't have hours to spend. A classic system is the best for both worlds I think. Like I said really good idea but I don't think it would work for people who didn't have 10 hours + a week to play.

I can see that. But it's not like it will take forever to level up each class. If you want to unlock everything it might. However, if they keep the ammo crate you can gain access to a random weapon and you can always pick one up.

I don't think that there's as many super casuals who only prestige a couple times over the course of an entire series. I think there's a lot who reset themselves or have multiple accounts. I think there's a vast majority, possible >90% who prestige at least 5 times. Those who don't prestige shouldn't dictate how a game functions and punish the other 90%.

It's tough to make everyone happy and normally I favor the casual, but when it comes to leveling I think there needs to be a system that favors those who play a lot. Casuals will never fully realize the game, even with the current system in place, so why bother trying to please them?

I can see that. But it's not like it will take forever to level up each class. If you want to unlock everything it might. However, if they keep the ammo crate you can gain access to a random weapon and you can always pick one up.

I don't think that there's as many super casuals who only prestige a couple times over the course of an entire series. I think there's a lot who reset themselves or have multiple accounts. I think there's a vast majority, possible >90% who prestige at least 5 times. Those who don't prestige shouldn't dictate how a game functions and punish the other 90%.

It's tough to make everyone happy and normally I favor the casual, but when it comes to leveling I think there needs to be a system that favors those who play a lot. Casuals will never fully realize the game, even with the current system in place, so why bother trying to please them?

The problem with this system is you're cutting away a huge amount of the game to people who can't play on a daily basis. The classic ranking up system allows the best of both worlds, this system you're suggesting only really benefits those who have days upon days to sink into the game and therefore it isn't accessible for people who don't have that amount of time. Now these people do prestige but it takes them a lot longer than those who play everyday.

You start making the game favour those who play more and more, you cut off a significant portion of new players. I think that's why BF series hasn't got as much of a fan base as CoD is because that game isn't accessible to those who are casual. CoD has and always is going to be a casual shooter at heart and that's why the devs have favoured this classic ranking system for so long is because it does offer the best of both worlds.

As biron said below and as many of my clan members would tell you, Call of Duty loses interest once you hit max prestige. A couple months ago several members of my clan ran out of things to do. They hit max prestige and most of their guns are gold. Far more players "beat" Call of Duty and lose interest than players. I see no logic in limiting a game because of casuals who will never come close to unlocking all of the game. So why try?

They have to understand that this game isn't going to wait around for them. If they really want something out of the unlock system then they have to work for it and not have it handed to them.

As biron said below and as many of my clan members would tell you, Call of Duty loses interest once you hit max prestige. A couple months ago several members of my clan ran out of things to do. They hit max prestige and most of their guns are gold. Far more players "beat" Call of Duty and lose interest than players. I see no logic in limiting a game because of casuals who will never come close to unlocking all of the game. So why try?

They have to understand that this game isn't going to wait around for them. If they really want something out of the unlock system then they have to work for it and not have it handed to them.

I think this is one of the topics we'll have to agree to disagree on.

However, I think by making a game that requires around 30 days total game time to reach Max prestige is automatically alienating a lot of the CoD population. I think your statistic of 90% of CoD players prestige 5 times is wrong, because from what I see there is a lot more players below 5th prestige than their is above it by looking at leaderboard stats and just in general.

I think, the need to have a system that works for both. For example I would have hit prestige 10 easily on Modern Warfare 3 because I was on prestige 7 when they announced that they were moving the number of prestiges up to 15 and then later 20 and I decided to stop because I knew it was unrealistic that I'd ever beat that game so I gave up and stayed at 7 and then when crap ops 2 came out I went back and prestiged further. However you get the picture. If someone feels that they will never have a hope in hell of beating the game they'll stop or they'll only do something once and to be fair giving someone that feeling isn't right. Personally the solution to players who do play 30+ days in game time is simply to allow them to start over if they wish or give them exclusive challenges or both. They could give a set of exclusive challenges in which they can complete while they redo the prestiges.

I think you'll find the players who end up with 30 days on the game will beat the game regardless of whatever system we put in but the casuals will have no hope in hell and its not a very good feeling from the start that you'll never be able to beat the game.

That's why a classic prestige system like we had in previous CoDs will work best because it caters to all players. Your system would be like saying 'right with advanced warfare we'll make the game total MLG style where we have ranked matchmaking so you're always challenged' many people who are casual players who don't want to be tryhards would feel alienated and under your system they would feel alienated.

You're basically describing how BO2 did levelling up and I think they had it spot on. Plus a bit of how BF4 makes gun unlocks work.

I've no problem with either system. I liked in BO2 that if I prestiged my guns would still be how I left with whatever attachments I had on them.

As for this casual arguement - I'd say I'm a casual player. I don't play COD all day every day. I have a job, I have friends, I like to play other games. But I'm quite happy with having to rank up to unlock things and I am also happy with having to use a weapon to unlock attachments and I'd have no problem with having to use guns in each class to unlock the next gun in that class. I like to think I'm working towards something when playing. This is exactly why I got bored of Ghosts so quickly.

I like the idea of going back to ranking up to unlock guns, attachments etc.

Ghosts is so flawed in this way. You can be almost brand new to the game and go and unlock an M27 and thermal scope to make your camping easy immediately.

You should be rewarded for putting in time.

Lets be honest, in Ghosts all you needed was to build up your squad points at the beginning and then your sorted for all prestiges..hell they could have at least made it once you prestige you went back to 0 squad points, but no, you could immediately use your points to unlock everything you need to start again.

Yesterday, i found my self so bored of Ghosts, I went back to MW3 and decided to do a full reset and start from the beginning again, i forgot how hard it is having to level and using guns your not use to etc, but it also made me want to level up to get to that ACR and even get to that MP7 at level 74!

And also having the prestige award for being able to do 1 permanent unlock it makes you think carefully, knowing once you prestige you have to start from scratch, what 1 weapon do I want this time, do I want the gun I love but is unlocked about half way through, or do I want that one gun i enjoy using but is one the final unlocks...#firstworldproblems hahaha